Sony Announces Closure of PlayStation Mobile

In a move that should not surprise anyone, PlayStation Mobile is shutting down. It was Sony's attempt to create a store for games that would work on the PS Vita and select Android devices. Support ended for the Android segment of the platform last year. If you're one of the rare few who have bought games via the service, you will not be able to re-download games you've bought after September 10 and no new games will be published after July 15.

If you've downloaded any PlayStation Mobile games, you'd be able to play them after September 10. This would be possible by following the instructions listed in this post on Sony's PlayStation forums. Just ensure that you already have the games downloaded to your Vita.

In theory, PlayStation Mobile was a sound initiative. It could have propped up Sony's ailing mobile division by aligning it with the PlayStation brand that's made significant headway in the last few months what with the PlayStation 4 smashing sales records.

Nonetheless, this should do little to deter Vita owners or would-be purchasers of Sony's handheld. The device has been getting a steady stream of indie titles on the PlayStation Store, making it a worthy alternative to iOS or Android gaming on the go.

The move begs the question: what fail-safes do platform owners like Sony and Microsoft have in place the moment they decide to pull the plug on their storefronts? Right now it is PlayStation Mobile which had little traction to begin with, but what about PlayStation Network and Xbox Live? It just makes buying games as physical copies a lot more enticing.